


Of Crazy Conspiracies and Invasions

by goodgirlfaith (boomersoonerash)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1990s, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Band, Conspiracy Theories, Crushes, Diners, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Pining, Small Towns, Summer, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 09:06:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomersoonerash/pseuds/goodgirlfaith
Summary: Louis' crush on Harry really is no secret to everyone but Harry so when Harry mentions that his conspiracy theory believing friend Niall thinks that Louis likes him Louis must decide on telling the truth or lying.





	Of Crazy Conspiracies and Invasions

**Author's Note:**

> I'd just like to say the prompt I chose for this challenge was probably one of the hardest to fit into a one-shot that I have ever had to work with but I also love a challenge. I tried to work with it as loosely as possible though because I really didn't want to make anyone angry.
> 
> 121\. The Fear of a Chinese invasion

"So where is H at?" Liam spoke up from where he was seated beside Louis in the cramped tiny diner they came to most morning's since Summer had started.

The summer of 1998 and Louis' last in this godforsaken small town he lived in. Knowing his freedom was coming once he left to head off to college.

A college far far away from where he currently was and one in which he was maybe counting down the days in which he could leave. Never have to come back except for Holidays of course...and maybe Harry's graduation too. Because there was no way he'd miss the graduation of the boy he'd grown up with.

A boy who he had one of the hugest crushes on even if he hadn't told him. He was sure Harry knew somehow or so he told himself because in the end it seemed they had an unspoken connection. They always had, had one and always would.

"Didn't you hear?" Louis questioned as he raised an eyebrow in Liam's direction. "H has new friends that he's been spending his time with. Those two conspiracy theory geeks Niall and Zayn. Met them a few weeks before school ended for the summer and he's been hanging out with them more."

Liam scrunched his nose up at that, "But isn't Niall the one who...well he's afraid of a Chinese Invasion," he laughed with a roll of his eyes.

"That was in sixth grade Liam," Louis chided him. "Let's hope the fears he had because of his parents raising him to be a tin-hatter have subsided to a lesser degree."

"But what if they haven't?" Liam questioned as he turned to look at Louis, the look he was giving him making Louis blush. "What if he somehow makes Harry believe crazy things?"

Now it was Louis who rolled his eyes at Liam's questions. Believing that Harry, his sweet dear Harry wouldn't be that gullible.

"Harry is better than that," Louis spoke sounding confident.

Though his mind was now wondering. After all Harry had been spending a lot of time with Zayn and Niall. What if he too somehow ended up fearing a Chinese Invasion? What if he too got crazy insane theories like there really had been no moon landing and that aliens were real?

It was really all too much, making Louis' head hurt slightly.

Liam only sighed before taking a bite of the burger he had ordered, "I hope for your sake that you're right Lou," he muttered with a tiny smirk. "Would suck for you if the boy you are over the moon for started believing in such crazy and delusional things."

"I'm not over the moon for H," Louis argued as his cheeks started to get hot. "Now that is a crazy conspiracy theory if I have ever heard one," he murmured before reaching for one of Liam's fries and taking a bite.

Liam playfully glared at Louis, before heaving a tiny sigh. "I don't know why you try to lie to me. I've know you almost just as long as you've known Harry," he spoke still on the subject of Louis being in love with Harry. "I see the way you look at him or even the way you look when he is the subject of our conversation."

"Yeah and how's that?" Louis questioned as he gave Liam a curious look.

"Like Harry created the whole universe or something."

Going silent Louis stole another fry from Liam. Wanting anything to fight off the urge of saying that really it was as if Harry was the universe. Because to Louis he was.

Harry was the goddamn sun and moon in Louis' world as well as maybe being a little bit of the stars too.

But of course he wasn't going to confess that to Liam even if Liam did seem accepting. It was still the nineties and being gay still wasn't that acceptable. Though it was better than it had used to be in other times.

Swallowing the fry Louis just gave Liam an incredulous look or well he hoped it came across that way. "Again that's crazy and bullshit."

"Yeah, yeah I'm not the one in denial," Liam shrugged as if he didn't believe Louis' lies which well he shouldn't have but Louis wasn't going to tell him that.

"Just shut up and eat," Louis muttered as he began to eat his own food now. Decided to stop stealing poor Liam's fries even if Liam deserved it.

Deserved it for bringing up his crush on Harry. Something Louis had hoped wouldn't ever be spoken of. That if it was obvious it would only be obvious to Harry and not everyone else but of course he couldn't get that lucky. Of course Liam could see it too.

Maybe everyone who had ever been in the same room as him and Harry, could see it. A fact that scared Louis just a bit.

But he wouldn't admit that out loud. At least not yet.

***

Louis raised an eyebrow as he sat with Harry in Harry's room later that afternoon. Just being content as he watched Harry write in that old leather bound journal that had been a birthday gift from Louis a few years back. Louis knowing how much Harry loved to write.

So of course he had bought him a journal to write in. A journal that Harry was still using which surprised Louis given how often Harry wrote in it.

"I can feel you staring," Harry stated without even looking up at Louis.

Louis' cheeks burning at that because fuck his luck today.

"I wasn't staring," he argued even though yeah he had been. "It's just I have nowhere else to look. Really not interested in staring at the Hanson posters you have on your wall you know. They really aren't pretty girls to look at," he teased because he knew they were all boys.

It was just fun sometimes to annoy Harry over his love for the band.

"They aren't girls and you know that Lou," Harry muttered without even looking up from whatever he was writing down. "How about just confessing that you were staring at me?"

Louis' cheeks burnt some more as he reached up to run a hand through his hair. Hating that Harry knew all the ways to get under his skin. Knew the ways to make him squirm and feel put on the spot.

It wasn't fair at all. Then again if Louis really had any problems with it he probably would have lost his stupid crush on the boy a long time ago.

"Fine I was staring," Louis conceded which made Harry finally look up at him, a cheeky grin on the other boy's face. "Just wondering what the hell you were writing though was all. You just seemed so into it and didn't seem to even notice I was in the room."

Harry's grin grew at that, "I always notice when you are in the room Lou," he admitted as his eyes lit up...that or Louis was seeing things. "But I was writing down this silly notion that Niall had today."

"Let me guess," Louis spoke a bit teasingly. "He's still afraid of a Chinese Invasion?"

Harry laughed at that, his eyes getting even brighter, "No, he's actually more scared of the UFO kind of invasions now," he told Louis as if it was nothing.

Which made Louis wonder if Harry really was starting to believe Niall's crazy conspiracies. Maybe he should find a way to end the friendship before things got too weird and Harry started to wear tin foil hats or something.

"So his silly notion had to do with aliens?"

"No," Harry spoke as he shook his head. "It had to do with you."

"Me?" Louis asked feeling perplexed. "What kind of silly notion could he have about me?" he questioned because he hadn't even been around Niall enough for Niall to develop theories on him.

Harry looked away from Louis at that, the light in his eyes going away some. Almost like he was afraid to say whatever it was Niall thought.

Even if he had been the one to bring it up. A fact that only piqued Louis' interest even more now.

Louis sighed as he moved a bit closer to Harry, "Come on Harry, you can tell me anything. Even if it is a silly conspiracy theory Niall has about me," he spoke wanting to reassure him.

He and Harry they usually never kept secrets...usually. Because of course Louis was keeping the secret of his crush from Harry.

Thought it was for the best because he didn't want to be crushed if Harry didn't like him back. Something that wouldn't shock Louis given they grew up in a small southern town and there weren't a lot of out and gay men yet. Louis himself was still in the closet.

"He thinks..." Harry started but stopped long enough to take a breath. "He thinks you like me," he finally revealed.

Louis just sat there after that feeling dizzy. The room spinning around him as his breathing got a bit faster.

To say that this hadn't been what he was expecting would be an understatement because it wasn't what he had been expecting. That somehow in the few times he had spent in Niall's presence that Niall had been able to figure that out.

Which only reminded him of his conversation with Liam from earlier today and again brought home Louis wondering if his crush was that obvious? Though if it was how had Harry missed it for so long?

"Please say something Lou," Harry murmured out after the silence that had fell over them lasted a while. "I feel like an idiot for even bringing this up. Told Niall he was one too for thinking that."

"He's..." Louis started wanting to deny what Harry had said but now that he was faced with it, it was hard to do that.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "He's crazy right?" Harry asked sounding hopeful. Like he wanted Louis to admit Niall was crazy.

A fact that maybe hurt Louis but he'd do his best not to show that. Not show he was affected by Harry wanting him to deny something.

"He's not wrong," Louis spoke surprising himself as well as Harry who seemed to freeze up.

Harry turning to look away from him at that. Something that surprised Louis because how could something like this change things so quickly? He was sure Harry wasn't homophobic. He had known him his whole life almost. Surely he wouldn't have missed that.

"I wanted him to be crazy Lou," Harry whispered as he finally looked at Louis. Looking much younger than what he actually was.

Now it was Louis who raised an eyebrow at Harry's words. "Because you don't like me back?" he questioned rather harshly.

Not even sure why he had asked because he really didn't want the answer to the question. Dreaded it really but now it was out there and he couldn't take it back.

Harry shook his head as he swallowed hard, "Because I do," he admitted, Louis not being able to help it when he smiled.

"Then exactly what is the problem Harry?"

"It's the fucking nineties and I'm scared of....scared of being out," Harry confessed as a blush grew on his cheeks. "And I'm going to have to be out because knowing you really do like me back well I'm not going to just let that go. Going to want to date you and everything because it's all I've dreamed about for years but I'm afraid. Afraid of losing my friends and family...and just fucking afraid. Crazy I know," he sighed with a shake of his head.

Louis' smile only growing as Harry rambled even if what he was saying broke Louis' heart. But god was it adorable when Harry rambled.

Instead of answering him verbally Louis just leaned close to him. Kissing him softly.

A kiss that was chaste. More so than what Louis would have liked but he didn't want to push his limits or his luck. Not when Harry had so many worries right now.

Pulling away from the kiss he just gave Harry his best reassuring smile, "We'll just take things one day at a time okay and not give a fuck what others think. You think you can do that for me?"

Harry gave a tiny sigh but shook his head, "For you I can try anything."

"Good," Louis told him as his smile grew more and for the moment maybe he was glad for Niall and all of Niall's crazy ideas like a fear of a Chinese Invasion or a fear of an Alien Invasion.

Mainly because for once one of Niall's crazy ideas had been right.


End file.
